Senator Mandago Released As Aide Out Of The Country
The trio were released on a bond of Ksh2 million with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Ksh500,000.
Marvin Chege 
Uasin Gishu senator Jackson Mandago was on Thursday, August 17 set free alongside two other accused persons in the Finland and Canada Scholarship scandals by a Nakuru Law Court.
The trio were released on a bond of Ksh2 million with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Ksh500,000.
Senior Principal Magistrate Alloyce Ndege ruled that the three return at a later date for plea-taking following reports that a fourth suspect was out of the country.
Senator Mandago in court alongside his co-accused Meshack Rono and Joshua Lelei while appearing in court on August 17, 2023. /CITIZEN DIGITAL
Mandago was among three others on the spot over the Finland and Canada Overseas Education Programme, which manifested into a scandal. The three include ex-officials Joseph Maritim (1st respondent), Meshack Rono (2nd respondent), and Joshua Lelei (3rd respondent).
Maritim was however a no-show at the hearing because he is out of the country, even though a warrant of arrest was still issued against him. His lawyer however requested that the bond terms also apply to his client and that the arrest warrant be lifted.
"My client is not a fugitive, he was not summoned to record a statement, neither was he informed to appear in court today," he argued.
"I have explained why he is in Canada and he went there way before investigations commenced. As to why he is singled out among the four accused persons for a warrant of arrest I do not understand."
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in an earlier statement claimed that Maritim had fled the country following the investigations, a statement his lawyer refuted.
"Earlier, the trio had failed to appear in court to face charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, and abuse of office among other charges, prompting a warrant of arrest to be issued for their immediate arrest.
"Sleuths from the Financial Investigations Unit launched a manhunt for the three who engaged them in cat and mouse games before the suspects opted to surrender when they ran out of ideas," the DCI stated in part.
The trio are accused of conspiring to steal Ksh1 billion from an account domiciled at a local bank in Eldoret registered under the Uasin Gishu Education Trust Fund meant for overseas university fees for students under Uasin Gishu County Overseas Education Programme.
Earlier, a warrant of arrest was issued against him with the National Police Service (NPS) revealing that he went into hiding since Tuesday, August 15 while revealing that it was in the process of executing a warrant of arrest issued against him.
